Ethical Problems and Breeding Goals Subproject 3: Pigs Sandra - - PDF document

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 1

Development of integrated livestock breeding and management strategies to improve animal health, product quality and performance in European organic and ‘low input’ milk, meat and egg production

Ethical Problems and Breeding Goals Subproject 3: Pigs

Sandra Edwards Newcastle University

Stakeholder Congress on Ethical Concerns Wageningen, March 15 2011

An Ethical Overview

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RESPECT FOR WELLBEING AUTONOMY (choice) JUSTICE (fairness) Animals

Animal welfare Behavioural choice Intrinsic value (integrity)

Farmers

Satisfactory income and workplace Managerial freedom

(independence)

Fair trade rules

Consumers

Food quality and safety Choice and democracy

(public wishes)

Affordability

Environment

Conservation Biodiversity Sustainability Mepham & Millar (2001)

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 2

Ethical conflicts

• Animal welfare v farmer income & affordable food
• Animal welfare v management choices
• Animal integrity v product quality
• Environmental impact v „naturalness“
• Animal integrity v technological advance

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Income v welfare (1)

• Breeding for prolificacy

Piglet survival

Neonatal survival of piglet (h2 = 0.04 - 0.2)

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 3

Income v welfare (1)

• Breeding for prolificacy

Sow longevity

Longevity of sow (h2= 0.05 - 0.25)

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 20 22 24 26 28 30 pigs/sow/year % sow mortality

Interpig (2009)

Income v welfare (2)

• Breeding for lean tissue growth rate

Fast and efficient growth, lean carcass ? Reduction in Robustness ? Ability to adapt to low input conditions

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 4

Income v welfare (2)

• Breeding for lean tissue growth rate

Metabolic function (ability to function with low quality diets) Immunological function (natural ability to resist disease) Skeletal function (predisposition to OCD and leg weakness)

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Income v welfare (2)

• Breeding for lean tissue growth rate

Thermoregulatory function (esp. in low input systems) Loss of fat insulation (piglets and pregnant sows) Loss of heat tolerance (finishing pigs and lactating sows)

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

LIB project Saskia Bloemhof

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 5

„Naturalness“ v environmental impact

• Feed conversion efficiency

Low input systems use feed less efficiently so give greater environmental impact

Traditional breeds - slower growth, greater fatness More natural environments – greater waste, climatic penalty N.b. Correlates of breeding for efficiency

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Management v welfare (1)

• Modified social organisation

Modified group size and composition Lack of group stability Breeding for reduced social problems?

Aggression in pigs (h2 = 0.2 - 0.4) Tail biting in pigs (h2 = 0 - 0.3)

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 6

Management v welfare (2)

• Restriction of natural behaviour

Early weaning age Barren housing conditions

• Important Ethical issues but not solved by breeding

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Product quality v integrity

• Castration

Mutilation to reduce boar taint in meat Problem greater in low input systems

traditional, early maturing breeds slower growth and imbalanced dietary protein Boar taint compounds (h2 = 0.25 - 0.75)

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 7

Product quality v Genetic diversity

• Fat composition and human health

Fatter animals (traditional breeds) have more saturated fat Saturated fat increases human health risks ? Can we breed for unsaturated fatty acids , esp omega-3

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Technology v integrity

• Genomic selection

Use of genetic markers, SNP information Not biological (phenotypic) information as used in traditional selection

GM animals

Possibility of enhanced traits for low input systems

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W A J A F C E

Breeding?

Low Input Breeds - ECO AB Symppsium, Wageningen (The Netherlands) March 15-16. 2011 28.03.2011 8

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The authors gratefully acknowledge co-funding from the European Commission, under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, for the Collaborative Project LowInputBreeds (Grant agreement No 222623)

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Institute of Organic Farming - IOF Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries